After Yun Ci hung up the phone, he returned to his computer.
[Call ended, duration 3:46.]
In his chat interface with Yu Xun, there was now such a system message.
Then, right after, the black avatar sent two more messages.
yx: [yc1293sdjkce]
yx: [Your game account]
After that, the black avatar went silent.
“How did it go? Did he say he’s coming?” Luo Sifang hurriedly asked from the side.
“Yeah.”
Yun Ci immediately closed the chat window, his voice a bit muffled.
Luo Sifang pondered the tone, “So when is he coming? Will it be a long wait?”
Yun Ci: “He’ll be here soon.”
As he spoke, he put back the headphones Luo Sifang had taken off and firmly said, “If you have any more questions, ask him yourself.”
Luo Sifang: “Oh.”
The window that had been open during the call was blowing cold air, making Yun Ci’s fingers very cold. He placed them on the keyboard and, following Yu Xun’s message, entered his game account.
After logging into the game, he glanced at his friends list.
There were quite a few people on his friend list, including new college roommates and people from his old high school. Anyone he had played games with was on his friends list. Among all these people, Yu Xun was the only one not there.
Even though, if you counted seriously, the time Yu Xun had spent playing games with him one-on-one was probably more than all the others combined.
…
Yun Ci thought randomly, hitting a few keys aimlessly. Unsurprisingly, he performed poorly, and the screen showed that he had been killed.
“Less than two minutes and you got killed,” Luo Sifang couldn’t help but worry about their 608 team’s performance in the competition, constantly glancing at his roommates’ screens. “That’s not like you, Ci-ge. We’re supposed to challenge all the school teams in the city!”
Yun Ci: “I got distracted.”
Luo Sifang: “How can you get distracted while playing games? Gaming spirit is about passion and focus. What are you thinking about, your code of laws or your English proficiency manual?”
He actually hoped it was either of those.
But it wasn’t.
Damn it.
Yun Ci ruffled his hair, telling himself to focus: “Let’s go again.”
Before starting the next game, a figure passed by the aisle beside him. The person came in with the cold wind from outside, wearing a white scarf that looked too clean, contrasting with his somewhat devilish face.
When the person passed by him, he stopped and placed a small bag on his desk.
The bag contained a piece of black cake.
Luo Sifang looked up, “Yu-ge! You finally made it!”
The person beside him responded with an “Ah,” and said, “I got off work a bit late.”
Luo Sifang: “Not too late, have a seat.”
After saying that, he remembered last time, “Only the inside seat is left. Is that okay?”
Previously, Yu Xun insisted on changing seats, even though it was also an inside seat. Who knows, maybe today he wanted to sit somewhere else, like next to Yun Ci.
Yun Ci was also listening, waiting for a response.
But this time, Yu Xun didn’t make a fuss like before. He pulled out the innermost chair and sat down, “It’s fine. Someone like me, being introverted, sitting inside is just right.”
With this answer, Yun Ci’s heart didn’t settle down.
Probably because he wasn’t used to it. Someone who always made a fuss suddenly didn’t anymore.
Or maybe it was because of that phone call earlier.
Yun Ci thought about the mutual silence after he spoke.
Could he have actually heard?
The possibility was minimal, but since it was the one he subconsciously didn’t know how to face, it still surfaced for no reason.
“Do you still want to switch seats with me?”
At this moment, Yu Xun unzipped his jacket and said, “—Although I’m introverted, I can sit outside for the sake of the dorm leader.”
“…”
Luo Sifang: “No need, I’m fine here. Switching seats is too much trouble.”
…
It looks like he overthought it.
Yun Ci refocused his attention.
Once the six of them were assembled, they entered the game battle interface.
Because Yun Ci and Yu Xun were separated by a few people, they communicated less during the game. But every time Yun Ci felt the atmosphere was strange, Yu Xun would speak up in time, making it seem like there was nothing unusual between them, just like before: “Can you not aim at me this time, Ci-ge?”
“I don’t mind,” Yu Xun said from across, “but Captain Luo might not agree.”
“It would be embarrassing if we get knocked out in the first round.”
“…”
Yun Ci pressed his lips together, also trying to return to normal and act like nothing happened: “As if I need you to tell me.”
A bit of their familiar banter returned.
Yu Xun: “I’m afraid you’ll lose control when you see me later.”
Yun Ci: “?”
Yu Xun: “What, am I not telling the truth?”
“What truth?”
“An irresistible urge to kill me.”
What the hell? How could that be considered a feeling?
Yun Ci gripped the mouse, aimed at the enemy across, and the next second, scored a headshot.
“Nice!” Luo Sifang was the only one truly focused on the game, and he cheered sincerely for that one kill, “That shot was perfect!”
“Well done, Ci-ge!”
“If you perform like this in the competition, we’ll win the championship—”
Yun Ci didn’t speak, continuing to play seriously.
With the game updated to this version, some details required adaptation. He was quite skilled, especially during the holiday when he played one-on-one with Yu Xun, his understanding of the game had advanced significantly.
In the middle of the next round.
Yu Xun, low on health: “Cover me, I’m healing.”
He didn’t specify, but on the map, Luo Sifang and the others were far away searching for supplies, and the closest person to him was Yun Ci.
Yun Ci controlled his character to go upstairs, found Yu Xun, and positioned his gun at the window to cover him while he healed.
After healing, Yu Xun said, “Thanks.”
Yun Ci didn’t respond, controlling his character to leave for other places.
He tapped on the keyboard, suddenly realizing this was their first time cooperating.
Not as opponents, but as teammates. Even if it was just in the game.
Luo Sifang looked up at the remaining number of survivors in the top left corner and said, “Looks good, this round is stable.”
Wang Zhuang chimed in, “I think as long as those two don’t fight each other, our team’s chances of winning are actually pretty decent, we do have some strength.”
Peng Yiyuan: “Agreed.”
“…”
In the next round, he and Yu Xun split up at the beginning, playing separately for most of it. Luo Sifang ran around, sometimes following Yu Xun to ambush people, and other times riding with Yun Ci to search for enemies.
Following them around like this, Luo Sifang suddenly noticed something: “Oh wow, has anyone ever told you two that your playstyles are very similar?”
“?”
“Yeah, your gaming styles.”
“Hard to say, for example,” Luo Sifang said, “many habits are the same, preferred weapons are the same, and aiming techniques are the same. Sometimes when we want to retreat, you two often both push forward together, and you both love hiding behind doors to ambush.”
Others echoed in agreement, “Indeed.”
“Now that you mention it, just now, only those two thought they could fight.”
“They didn’t hesitate at all when charging. I don’t get it, we were outnumbered, two squads on the other side. Yet they both went to the opposite rooftop without a word, found the same spot, and managed to get quite a few kills.”
“…”
Are these really similar?
Yun Ci’s hand paused as he aimed through the scope.
He was about to say, “It’s just basic game sense. As for preferred weapons, it purely depends on what’s effective. This version favors snipers.”
Until Luo Sifang mentioned another detail: “And Ci-ge, after looting a body, you like to jump in place once. Yu-ge does that too.”
“…”
Yun Ci’s words got stuck in his mouth.
That indeed was his personal habit. Li Yan used to always say, “Kill the enemy, loot the stuff, and get moving. Why the heck do you jump?”
After Luo Sifang said that, Yu Xun also fell silent for a moment.
They were already in the final circle of this round.
Full squad, everyone still alive.
Yun Ci pressed the left mouse button, then realized he forgot to reload the gun.
After a while, he heard Yu Xun’s voice coming from a few positions away.
“After being killed for an entire holiday, every time someone loots a body and jumps once, certain habits are naturally picked up,” he said, “It’s normal, right?”
Luo Sifang: “Normal.”
Wang Zhuang: “If I were in that situation, I’d jump too. It’s like PTSD.”
Peng Yiyuan: “…Is that how PTSD is used?”
Luo Sifang casually added, “Anyway, between you two archenemies, constantly paying attention to each other, it’s normal to pick up habits.”
Yun Ci: “…”
Just as he didn’t know what to say, Yu Xun, who was lying in the grass, accidentally exposed his position, and the enemy’s bullets brushed past them.
Everyone immediately dropped the topic and focused on the game: “No way, we can’t lose this round—”
Two hours later, the 608 team returned from the internet café just in time before the dormitory closed.
Yun Ci pressed the shutdown button, and before leaving, saw the piece of cake Yu Xun had brought him. After thinking for a moment, he decided to take it with him.
At the entrance of the internet café, while waiting for the traffic light.
Yu Xun stood at the back, and Yun Ci walked over with the cake. After hesitating for a moment, he called out, “Hey.”
Yu Xun turned his head to look at him, “What?”
Luo Sifang and the others were standing in a row, reviewing the night’s battles.
Yun Ci didn’t look at him, staring at the traffic light ahead and asked, “How much was the cake?”
Yu Xun: “?”
Yun Ci: “I’ll transfer it to you on WeChat.”
After a while, Yu Xun said, “No need.”
The car lights flashed on the road, it was completely dark, close to midnight, and the temperature was colder than when they came.
Yun Ci wasn’t wearing a scarf, and his coat didn’t have a hood. The collar was open wide, and the cold wind kept drilling into his neck.
He insisted, “How much.”
Finally, he coldly added, “Otherwise, I’ll return it to you.”
After visiting Yu Xun’s home, he couldn’t help but feel that money should be important to Yu Xun. He felt bad about letting him spend this money.
And he hadn’t touched the cake yet.
It was intact; he could return it.
After all, what he said on the phone was just a slip of the tongue.
After saying that, Yun Ci worried that speaking this way would expose the fact that Yu Xun was obviously short on money. Everyone has their pride, so he added, “No other meaning; it’s just that, given our strained relationship, it’s not convenient to accept.”
“No need,” Yu Xun still said, “but this ‘no need’ doesn’t mean I’m giving it to you for free.”
“This is a thank you gift.”
“After all, you didn’t accept that chicken leg back then.”
“……”
This answer was hard to refuse.
Yun Ci couldn’t find any excuse to return the cake in his hand, so he simply remained silent.
But Yu Xun was still looking at him, his gaze half-hidden in the dim night, making it hard to see clearly.
After a few seconds, he spoke again, “But if you really feel bad about not paying…”
The traffic light in front of Yun Ci was momentarily covered by something white.
Then he felt something touch his neck. It was very soft.
A woolen scarf, warm with someone’s body heat, was wrapped around his neck twice.
After wrapping the scarf around Yun Ci’s neck, Yu Xun said, “Then help me take off the scarf.”
“…?”
“I’m feeling a bit hot. Too lazy to take it off, troublesome.”
